Alternative End To Bad Water
by Kiddo
Summary: an alternative end to the Bad Water Episode
1. Chapter 1

Alternative End To "Bad Water"

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or its characters. Additionally, I am not making any money by writing this.

This story is a translation of my German story "Alternatives Ende zu "SOS im Saragossa-Meer," which was dedicated to Yury for Christmas.

Information:

The first time I saw "Bad Water," I had the feeling that there was something missing at the end of the episode. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a bit more, and every time I watched it on tape (or now DVD), I had that feeling again. Therefore, I decided to write my own ending… :-)

A "Thank you" goes to Jackie for beta –reading.

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Chapter 1

Totally soaked, Commander Ford, Lieutenant Krieg, Dr. Westphalen, and Lucas Wolenczak stepped onto the seaQuest. Each of them was glad to have solid ground under their feet again and to not be in direct contact with the elements.

A few crew members (Captain Bridger, Chief Crocker, and Dr. Levin to be exact) were already there waiting for the shipwrecked crew. The others were either working on the damage that the lightning strike had caused, or they were taking care of the French sub and the people they had rescued.

Nearly all of them had big smiles on their faces. The only one who looked quite depressed was Lucas.

Dr. Levin had four blankets in his arms, which he immediately handed out, not even giving them a chance to get rid of their red life jackets.

The teenager still had the blanket in his hands when Bridger stepped forward and hugged him, not at all bothered that he got a little wet. "Everything okay, Kiddo?" Lucas only nodded, but the computer genius looked more like he wanted to cry.

Captain Bridger studied the boy for a moment and then turned to his crew. "You can't imagine how happy we are to have you all back."

The supply officer grinned. "Oh no, we can imagine it. Except Ford, maybe, he would have loved to have stayed in the lifeboat."

Nathan wrinkled his forehead in confusion, and the commander looked questioningly at Krieg. "Pardon?"

"Hey, who wanted Lucas ration out the food so that it would last for seven days?" challenged Ben.

Jonathan Ford rolled his eyes in annoyance, something people hardly ever saw him do. "That was only a precautionary measure; you should always be prepared."

Bridger left Krieg and Ford to their conversation and took Dr. Westphalen off to the side. When he had her full attention, he made an inconspicuous hand gesture in Lucas's direction. The teenager was pulling off his life jacket and really seemed to be downcast. Nathan leaned down to Kristen and whispered, "What is wrong with him? I can't believe that he isn't happy about being on the seaQuest again."

"Believe me, he is really very happy to be here again. But… it's because of Darwin," said the doctor.

"Because of Darwin?"

Westphalen nodded. "Yes, Darwin was close when the lightning struck. Lucas is afraid that Darwin could be dead." The red-haired woman looked pleadingly at the captain. "Please tell me that Darwin is here and well."

Bridger smiled. "Darwin is fine."

The doctor let out a relieved sigh. "You have to tell Lucas that immediately."

The captain of the seaQuest nodded. "I will." He turned away from the doctor and headed over to the computer genius.

In the meantime, Lucas had sat down on the steps, the blanket draped around his shoulders as he looked sadly at the nearby aqua tube. Nathan sat down next to the boy. "Dr. Westphalen told me you're afraid that Darwin might be dead."

The teenager turned his gaze to the captain and nodded. "Is he?" His voice sounded hoarse and unshed tears sparkled in his blue eyes.

Bridger shook his head. "No, Darwin just got in contact with some fresh water, that's all. To make sure that he is really safe, he is secured in the Moon Pool. If he wasn't, I'm sure that he would already be here to greet you."

Still a bit skeptical, Lucas looked at the older man. "Is that really true?"

The captain nodded. "Of course, I would never lie to you."

The teenager's face was now glowing. He jumped up, dropped the blanket, and started running in the direction of the Moon Pool.

Dr. Westphalen had also heard Bridger's words. "Darwin got in contact with fresh water? How did that happen?"

"The French sub was stuck in a fresh water hole, and Darwin found them there."

Kristen nodded in understanding. "Were you able to save them?"

"Yes, and I put a team together that is now taking care of them. We have also changed course so that we can bring them to the mainland as soon as possible," said Nathan.

"Does the team need any help?"

Bridger shook his head. "No, it's all covered. Besides, you only need to take care of yourself now."

Dr. Levin had heard this last statement and nodded. "Indeed, you will all go and take hot showers and then put some warm clothes on. I don't want any of you getting sick."

Nathan smiled. He knew that his three crew members were in good hands with Dr. Levin. He picked up the blanket that the teenager had dropped only moments ago. "I'll go and take care of Lucas." Not that the boy would be crazy enough to take a swim with the dolphin.

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Two minutes later, Nathan reached the Moon Pool. The sight was enough to warm his heart.

Lucas was almost hanging in the Moon Pool trying to stroke Darwin as he spoke soft words to the dolphin. Everybody could see how much these two meant to each other.

Bridger knew that someday, the time would come when either he or the computer genius would leave the submarine. Secretly, he had the feeling that in spite of the many-years long friendship he had with the dolphin, Darwin would stick with Lucas and either stay or go with him. But, he really hoped that that day was far, far away.

The captain moved next to the boy and put the blanket around his shoulders. The blond boy looked up and smiled. "Thanks."

"I told you our friend was alright." Nathan looked down at Darwin, who was clearly enjoying the attention from Lucas.

The teenager nodded. "I really thought that he was dead."

Bridger put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Even a genius can be wrong from time to time."

For some time, they just stood there and talked with Darwin. Then Lucas fetched a few especially tasty fish and gave them to the dolphin. He really had earned it today.

Now, the captain was really able to see the teenager's face fully. What he saw there shocked him. The boy's lips had turned really blue, and he also noticed that the teen's hands were shaking slightly. "Kiddo, your lips are blue! You go and take a hot shower immediately!"

The computer genius shook his head. "I will in a few minutes. I want to stay with Darwin a bit longer."

Bridger shook his head determinedly. "No chance! You'll go right now. If Dr. Westphalen sees you like this she'll have my head."

"Okay, okay." After all, he didn't want to be responsible for getting the captain in trouble. Besides, the doctor would also end up lecturing him, and today, he really wasn't up for it. "Bye, Darwin."

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**to be continued** ...


	2. Chapter 2

Alternative End To "Bad Water"

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or its characters. Additionally, I am not making any money by writing this.

A "Thank you" goes to Jackie for beta –reading.

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45 minutes later, Lucas was sitting in his dark cabin, wearing dry clothes once again. He had tried to towel dry his hair as much as possible. For some inexplicable reason, his hairdryer hadn't turned on.

The teenager was wearing a thick pullover and over that, another shirt. However, he still felt incredibly cold.

Just as the computer genius was thinking about snuggling into his covers, someone knocked at his door. "Come in."

A now dry Commander Ford stepped into the cabin. "Hello, Lucas, I wanted to ask you if you feel like drinking something hot?"

The teenager nodded. Having something warm in his stomach sounded really tempting. "Yeah."

"Good, then let's go to the Mess Hall. We all want to sit there together for a bit, but if you don't want to, you can bring it to your cabin." He gave the boy a small smile. "We're all getting special treatment at the moment. Hitchcock even offered Krieg her thermal socks."

Lucas had to smile. "No, I'll go." The blond teen stood up and fished out some dry shoes from the back corner of his locker. "Hey, why did you come get me yourself? It would have been easier to Pal me."

The comander shook his head as the teenager put on his shoes. "No, I couldn't have. The lightning strike hit the seaQuest pretty hard. Almost all of the systems are down, and they are still working on the repairs."

Lucas stood up and went to the door. "Of course, why didn't I think of that myself? That's why my hairdryer didn't work - the socket didn't have any power."

Ford nodded. "At the moment, they're working on the most important things. The kitchen was one of the first things, I think because they probably feared the loss of coffee." He looked up to the overhead lighting. "Didn't you wonder why the lights weren't working?"

The teen could only shake his head. "I didn't even try them."

"Oh." And with that, they left the cabin and stepped out into the corridor.

"Do you know how Ben is doing?" asked Lucas. When he had been on his way to the showers, he had heard and seen Dr. Westphalen and Dr. Levin literally dragging the supply officer to med bay. The doctor and Krieg had already changed into dry clothes, which meant that they had taken incredibly fast showers.

Jonathan Ford smiled. "Oh, he's alright. Dr. Westpahlen just wanted to make sure that he didn't have a concussion from when he hit his head on the hatch. But that guy is so thick-headed that the hatch was probably more damaged than him."

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**to be continued** ...

I know this one was really short. Next one will be longer.

Anybody interested in translating my stories for me?


	3. Chapter 3

Alternative End To "Bad Water"

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or its characters. Additionally, I am not making any money by writing this.

A "Thank you" goes to Jackie for beta –reading.

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A short while later, Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, Dr. Westphalen, Lt. Krieg, and Lucas Wolenczak were sitting around a round table in the Mess Hall.

Maggie, the cook, came over carrying a tray with 5 cups on it. She set down a cup of coffee in front of the captain; the other four all got big cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream. The MR-7 crew looked up in surprise.

Maggie smiled warmly. "It's good for the soul!" Then she tucked the tray under her arm, ruffled Lucas's hair, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Krieg took a spoon, scooped up some whipped cream, and put it happily in his mouth. "Lucas, you are worth your weight in gold. Your simple presence is enough to get all of us something this delicious." He looked at the others. "I tell ya, without him, we'd all be stuck with coffee or tea."

The others didn't say a word, but they knew that Ben was right. Bridger looked longingly at the others' drinks.

The computer genius shrugged his shoulders and put his cold hands around the cup. "I don't know what cooks always see in me." He also knew that Krieg was right, it had always been this way. Even in the school dining hall he had also always gotten the biggest dessert.

The supply officer grinned. "You are blond, you have big blue eyes, and you could also do with having more meat on your bones. That pretty much explains it."

The others followed the conversation with amusement. Who knew where this would go?

Lucas raised his eyebrows critically. "How does that explain it?"

Krieg rolled his eyes. "Oh don't tell me that every time you look in the mirror you are totally dissatisfied with what you see."

"Well..."

"Ha! Women love cute little guys like you. You are exactly the kind of guy who is always on the cover of some teeny-bopper magazine. And with your innocent looks I'm sure you tend to bring out the motherly feelings in a lot of women. And all the female cooks in the world have the urge to fatten you up. You just have to love somebody like you."

The red-haired doctor held her cup up to take a sip but also to hide behind it a bit. The morale officer had hit the nail on the head. Lucas evoked the motherly feelings in her whenever she looked at him. And if you also knew his background, the feelings increased.

Kristen didn't know anybody that didn't like the teenager. He got along with everybody on board, no matter if they were scientist or military. The boy had befriended the whole senior crew. Ben thought of him as some kind of little brother, and the captain had fatherly feelings for him. She knew this for sure because Bridger had talked with her about it.

Lucas felt akward being the topic of conversation and tried to change the subject with a little joke. "Could we talk about something else now?" He looked openly at Krieg. "I wouldn't want you to get an inferiority complex because of me."

For a brief moment, the moral officer was speechless. Then, he just grinned and for once, kept his thoughts to himself.

Dr. Westphalen immediately jumped to change the subject. "What name have they given the hurricane?" she now asked the captain.

"Hurricane Sheila," said Nathan.

"Sheila," said Ben thoughtfully. "That's fitting, I once had a girlfriend with that name. When she got mad, you really had to watch out."

Ford casually shook his head and muttered, "Why am I not surprised?" Then he took a sip of his hot chocolate.

Lucas looked questioningly at Bridger. He wasn't keen on a story about one of Ben's ex-girlfriends, he'd heard them often enough. "How bad was the lightning bolt that hit the seaQuest?"

"Very bad. We really were lucky that only a few people were hurt. It could have easily been much worse." He paused briefly and sighed. "The seaQuest, on the other hand... A few systems are failing or are totally gone. It will take some time to get everything working again." The questioning looks on the others' faces told him that they wanted a bit more of information. "To bring the bridge systems back online again, we brought one of the Whisker's, Junior, on the bridge and tapped into the power."

Ford nodded in understanding. "Good idea."

"Anyway, all available crew members are working on the repairs so that we will be fully operational as soon as possible." The captain looked pitifully at Lucas. "Nothing really happened to the bridge computers, but I'm afraid that all the other computers will have to be re-programmed, unless they weren't fried." Nathan prepared himself for an outburst from the teenager. After all, the blond boy had been giving the UEO an earful about the fact that not only the bridge computers and the main computer had to be protected for catastrophes like this, but Lucas's suggestion kept getting turned down.

To everyone's surprise, Lucas just nodded. "Oh, it's probably not as bas as it seems."

Krieg waved his hand twice in front of the teen's eyes. "Hello? Earth to Lucas! It's not as bad as it seems?"

The computer genius smiled. "I wrote a protection program and installed it on every previously unprotected computer. I just need to reboot the computers and input a password, that's all."

Bridger didn't know what to say. Should he be happy about this, or should he lecture the teenager because he had done this without permission? "Lucas, you know you shouldn't do things like this..."

The teenager rolled his eyes as only a person his age could. "I'm sorry, Captain, but I just had to do something. It's not my fault that the UEO guys can't see how important this is. I had to take action."

The captain nodded. "It's okay, I can understand why you did it."

Dr. Westphalen observed the teenager inconspicuously from time to time. She was worried about him. His lips still had a slight blue tinge that just wouldn't disappear. The boy really was far too thin. An extra layer of fat could have protected him against the rain and cold wind. She really had to keep an eye on him.

Then the red-haired doctor turned to the captain. "Did you know that two of your senior officers have no knowledge of seaman's knots?"

Bridger nodded. "Yeah, I know that a lot of young submariners are not able to tie knots. It isn't taught at the academy anymore. But when you ask an old warhorse like Crocker or me, you will see that we know every knot."

Kristen nodded. She believed that without question. "That's really sad. But why isn't it taught anymore?"

"Because some people are of the opinion that seaman's knots are not needed on modern submarines, and therefore, valuable lesson time shouldn't be wasted."

The doctor looked questioningly at the captain. "Well, we certainly needed them today."

Bridger had expected something like that, otherwise the doctor would have never brought up the topic of knots. He looked encouragingly at her. "What did you need the knots for?"

"We tied ourselves to the rubber dinghy with ropes. The waves were quite big, and we wanted to stay on the safe side," she explained.

Krieg confirmed her statement with a nod. "It was actually really, really helpful. Otherwise, the commander would be fish-food now."

The captain looked at Jonathan Ford with interest. "I'm all ears."

"Oh, there was a little situation where I briefly went overboard."

The supply officer nodded. "Yup, Ford was overboard." Then he grinned. "Wow, that even rhymed."

The commander shot him a dark look. "Funny, very funny. You've just been dying to say that this whole time."

Ben smiled and looked at his watch. It was already 1:30 a.m. He downed the last of his drink. "If you'll excuse me, my bed is calling me, or I might just start falling asleep here."

Lucas grinned wickedly. "I believe that."

The supply officer pointed his index finger at the teenager reproachfully. "Hey! Have you never heard of treating your elders with respect?"

The teenager was still smiling. "Only if they've really earned the respect. And besides, you've already demonstrated that you can sleep during any situation life throws at you."

Since the captain hadn't been with them, he didn't really understand that comment. "Did I miss something?"

Ford shook his head. "No, just that the lieutenant was the only one who managed to sleep in the rubber dinghy."

"I have healthy sleep habits. You are all just jealous." And with that, he stood up and left the Mess Hall.

It didn't take long for the others to do the same.

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**to be continued** ...


	4. Chapter 4

Alternative End To "Bad Water"

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or its characters. Additionally, I am not making any money by writing this.

A "Thank you" goes to Jackie for beta –reading.

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Lucas was standing in front of his wardrobe, searching for a sweater and jogging pants. He for sure wouldn't sleep only in boxers and a t-shirt tonight. He just was too cold for that. After locating the desired clothes, the teenager threw both things on his bed and began looking for a pair of thick woollen socks.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come in." He looked irritatedly at the door. Who would come visiting him at this time of the night?

Bridger stepped into the cabin. "Hello, Lucas." Nathan sat down on the only chair in the cabin. In doing so, his gaze automatically fell on the boy's laptop computer. "Have you already tested it to see if it's still working?" He pointed at the laptop.

The blond boy shook his head. "No, I don't need to. I already know that it will work. My computer is not normally connected to the seaQuest's network. I always just set up a link to it when I need it. And besides, my laptop doesn't need to be plugged into the ship's power. I have a battery in it that I only need to replace every two years."

The captain nodded in understanding. "Wow, that's really practical."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, it is." He went over to his bed, laid the socks on it, and sat down on his covers.

"That's not actually why I came to talk to you," said Bridger. "I wanted to know if you are really alright."

The computer genius nodded. "Since I'm back on the seaQuest, and I know that Darwin is okay, I'm good."

"Good to hear. I really was worried about you four. We all were. It's not easy to ignore that an important part of your crew is sitting in a rubber dinghy with a hurricane all over them, while you have to take care of something else."

The teenager nodded. "I can imagine that. It wasn't easy for us either. You know, I already thought that you had forgotten about us, even though I also knew that that would never be the case."

Bridger shook his head emphatically. "We would never forget you. We couldn't do that."

"Yeah, I actually knew that. It was just so frustrating, sitting in this rubber dinghy and waiting for help."

"Well, after all that's happened, I'm really glad that you are all here again and well." For a moment Nathan thought about getting personal and finally decided that the boy needed to hear it. "I was worried about you. I was worried that something could happen to you. You're important to me. You are a part of my life."

For a long moment, Lucas was speechless. He couldn't really remember when anybody had ever said something like that to him before. "Thanks! You also mean a lot to me."

Bridger smiled. The teenager 's reaction had showed him that he had said the right thing. It seemed that the boy hadn't heard such words very often. "Well, I think I'll go now. I wouldn't want Dr. Westphalen to give me a lecture because I kept you awake." He stood up.

Lucas grinned. "Don't worry, I won't say a thing."

Nathan went to the door. "Good night, Lucas."

"Good night, Captain." And with that, he was left alone in his cabin. For a moment, he just sat there, thinking about Bridger's words. Somehow, they gave him a good feeling and showed that he wasn't alone after all.

Ten minutes later, when Lucas was ready for bed, there was another knock on the door. The teenager turned around to the door. "Come in."

Dr. Westphalen stepped into the cabin. She had a blanket in her hands.

The blond boy looked questioningly at her.

"Hello, Lucas. I'm sorry to disturb you this late, but I brought you something." She put the blanket down on the bed. "We have a few extra blankets for emergencies in med bay. I thought that you could maybe use one tonight."

The computer genius smiled. "Thanks, it's really nice of you to think about me."

"That goes without saying." Kristen just couldn't forget the teenager's slightly blue lips, which still weren't back to normal. The boy really had to be cold. "I also brought something else." She unfoled the blanket, and a hot-water bottle appeared. "Voila!"

Lucas was speechless for a moment. He really wasn't used to people caring so much about him. "I can't accept that. You froze as much as any of us. Use it for yourself."

The red-haired doctor shook her head. "Don't worry Lucas, you can take it. I already have a hot-water bottle for myself in my cabin."

The teenager managed a husky "Thanks." This was so different from home. There, nobody had really cared how he was. When he compared that with the crew of the seaQuest, he could say that the crew acted more like his family than his real one did.

Kristen smiled. "Well, I will head to bed now." She walked to the door. "Good night."

"Good night."

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Shortly before 3:00 a.m., Captain Bridger hurried through the corridors of the seaQuest wearing only his pyjamas and bathrobe. Just as he rounded the next corner, he nearly collided with Chief Crocker.

"Wow, what are you doing here?" Manilow studied Bridger's outfit.

"Oh, it's about Darwin."

"Darwin? He's safe in the Moon Pool," said the chief.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, and that's the problem."

Crocker wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "I really don't see the problem there."

"I've just been Pal'd four times in the last hour because of Darwin. Everyone's complaining about him going wild in the Moon Pool and splashing everybody intentionally. And before my Pal goes off again, I thought it best to go and see what is really going on."

The chief only nodded. "I see. Well, have fun with that."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Both set out in opposite directions.

A short time later, the captain reached the Moon Pool. At first glance, everything seemed normal. Darwin was swimming slowly around the pool. But then Nathan saw that the whole floor was covered with water, and that wasn't normally the case.

Bridger stepped to the edge of the pool and called the dolphin to him. Without hesitation, he swam to him. "Hello, Darwin. Is it true that you splashed a few crew members and soaked them on purpose?"

It looked like the dolphin was nodding. "Yes."

The captain looked curiously at the animal. "But why did you do that?"

"Wouldn't let me out."

Bridger shook his head. "I'm sorry, but at the moment we can't let you out in the ocean."

Darwin snorted through his blowhole, shooting a bit of water in the air. It almost looked like he was either trying to show his annoyance or he was making fun of the captain. "Not swim in ocean, swim in seaQuest."

Bridger felt something click in his brain. "Oh, I see." He thought about what the dolphin wanted. He was actually only being kept in the Moon Pool for his own protection. But, it looked like the dolphin didn't like that at all. And he couldn't keep his animal friend here against his will. Plus, he already had a good idea of why Darwin didn't want to stay here. "Okay, I will let you out of the Moon Pool."

Nathan went to the other side of the room and pushed a button. Without delay, the doors of the Moon Pool opened. Darwin immediately swam to the opening and left Bridger alone.

The captain shook his head once more, amused, and then made his way back to his own cabin. After all, he already knew where the dolphin was heading, so he didn't need to worry.

Nathan yawned. This had really been a long and exhausting day. It was good that some days were just plain boring.

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In Mammal Engineering, the youngest crew member had snuggled comfortably into his bed and was deeply asleep.

In front of the window of the aqua tube, a silver-grey dolphin was swimming, watching over the blond boy as he slept. And if somebody had looked into the cabin a few hours later, he would have found the same picture.

The End

Written November, December 2004/ Translated April 2006


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